I spent the weekend in Asheville with Alysen, her sister Rachel, and her boyfriend Jason. We had a great time hanging out, going to hear the drum circle, listening to Jazz at Tressa’s and playing Chickenfoot.
On Saturday, the group indulged me by going on the Studio tour of the River Arts District.
There were some great studios there, including many sophisticated crafts people…interestingly several great fiber artists, and a couple of artists working in encaustic. One artist that caught my attention was Carol Bomer. Her work was thought provoking and interesting. The surfaces of her work were sophisticated and beautiful, with mark making akin to Cy Twombly and think rich textures like Larry Rivers…and anyone who knows me knows very well that this combination makes me smile.
There were a couple of other interesting artists there, both working in The Wedge…forgive me that i cannot recall their names, but one was working in what appeared to be photo emulsion on drawing paper exposed with images on people and then drawn on top of. I found this work to be beautifully made and subtle in surface and style. Showing side by side with her work was a portrait painter that was akin to Alice Neel’s work. Though perhaps too close in that approach, I found the paintings beautifully seen and quite nice.
If you have a chance in the near future, be sure to spend some time in the River Arts District in Asheville, worth your time for sure.
Finally, we spent some time in Blue Spiral 1. This gallery was full of intriging and world class art. I was impressed with the consistency in excellence throughout the work and the presentation. Showing in the main gallery were John L Cleaveland, Jr and George Peterson. Cleaveland’s pantings were uniquely southern in feel, with the most interesting being the large oils of trains. Peterson’s sculptures from large pieces of wood were complex in their surfaces and textures, and without reading the descriptions of the media, you would never be completely sure how they were made.
Truly exceptional work